Softball Preview: Hillcrest Trojans vs. Norte Vista Braves
Hillcrest and Norte Vista are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Hillcrest Trojans will head out on the road to take on the Norte Vista Braves at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hillcrest is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road.
Hillcrest can now show off nine landslide victories after their most recent contest on Monday. They blew past Arlington 16-8.
Mattison Beliveau and Ashley James made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Beliveau struck out eight batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and seven unearned) runs off five hits. Meanwhile, James pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Beliveau has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 17 consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Beliveau scored a run while going 1-for-5, while James scored a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Melody Acevedo was incredible, going 3-for-4 with a home run, four runs, and three RBI. Nicole Riddell was another key contributor, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Norte Vista's offense. Their rough 13-0 defeat to Ramona on Thursday might stick with them for a while. Norte Vista has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Norte Vista saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Angelina Sanchez, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
Hillcrest is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-13 record this season. As for Norte Vista, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-13.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Hillcrest hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .385. However, it's not like Norte Vista struggles in that department as they've averaged .378. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hillcrest took their victory against Norte Vista when the teams last played on April 2nd by a conclusive 10-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hillcrest since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
